Wissenschaftlicher Beirat für Familienfragen beim Bundesfamilienministerium: (Vor-)Geschichte, Funktionen und Tätigkeit in der Politikberatung

Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Beitrag bietet einen Überblick auf die lange, wechselvolle Geschichte des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats für Familienfragen, die von unterschiedlichen Phasen der Beratungstätigkeit mit jeweils auch unterschiedlicher Kooperationsintensität zwischen Beirat und Ministerium geprägt war. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Satzung von 1970, die für das besondere (Selbst-)Verständnis des Beirats sowie seine Funktion innerhalb der bundesrepublikanischen Politikberatung entscheidend ist. Die Autoren zeigen aber auch auf, wie sich der Beirat den gegenwärtigen Herausforderungen in der sog. Mediendemokratie stellt und geben einen Ausblick auf mögliche Zukunftsfelder der Politikberatung in der Familienpolitik. Abstract: Scientific Advisory Board on Family Affairs at the Ministry: History, Functions and Activities in Political Consultancy This article provides an overview of the long, eventful history of the Scientific Advisory Board on Family Affairs, which was characterized by different phases of advisory work, each with different levels of cooperation between the Advisory Board and the Ministry. The focus is on the statute of 1970, which determines the particularity and (self-)conception of the advisory board and its function within the Federal Republic’s political consulting. However, the authors also illustrate how the Advisory Board is facing the current challenges in so-called media democracy and give a perspective on possible future fields of advisory activity in family policy.

Mediendemokratie und Verfassungskontrolle à brasileira: Zur Bundesintervention in Rio de Janeiro

During carnival 2018, Brazilian mass media reported about a dramatic increase of crime and violence in Rio de Janeiro. Former President Michel Temer thereupon signed a decree that announced a federal intervention into Rio de Janeiro´s competence for public security. Being an historic precedent since Brazil´s return to democracy, the decree subordinated this competence under the command of a general. The present analysis shows that the constitutionality of this extraordinary measure was not properly analyzed by the organs responsible for its control and that this failure can be attributed to media pressure from which the President and his supporters aptly knew to take advantage of. The federal intervention is therefore both an example for modern power politics under the conditions of a media democracy and another evidence for the country´s institutional and political crisis, which has aggravated since former President Dilma Rousseff´s ouster through a dubious impeachment process.

Role of New Mass Media in Federal Republic of Germany. „Party Democracy“ versus „Media Democracy“

The article deals with the analysis of main problems of the role of new mass media, their relations with German political parties and development of media democracy in Federal Republic of Germany. Considering the rapid development of mass media the author investigates media as political instrument and autonomic political actor at the same time, analyses relations between the mass media and political parties, opportunity of changes in the parties, changes of party structure and the role of German parties. The process of „mediatization“ and its influence on the policy and party democracy is defined. The study found that the modern mass media have influence on public sector and political transformations and accelarate the progress of media democracy in Federal Republic of Germany as well.